


Begin Again

by 15Strawberries



Series: Voltron Rare Pair Week [2]
Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: AU, Black Paladin Allura, Multi, One-Sided Attraction, Voltron Rarepair Week 2017
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-02-14
Updated: 2017-02-14
Packaged: 2018-09-24 07:06:30
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,161
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9709886
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/15Strawberries/pseuds/15Strawberries
Summary: It starts like this.





	

It starts like this.

Keith's calculations are a day off, so he's not ready when the alien spacecraft comes screaming out of the sky to crash land in the middle of the desert. He goes anyway, because he's been buried in clues and signs and signals for the past year, and everything that he's learned has been pointing to this. He doesn't have a distraction prepared so he can't get close to the makeshift facility that's sprung up around the downed space craft. He finds the Garrison students first, Lance, who used to be in his flight classes, and Hunk and Pidge.

When he sees Shiro drugged unconscious on Pidge's monitor he almost storms the place anyway, subtlety be damned, but Pidge tells him wait. "Let's be smart about this." Pidge says, eyes narrowed and determined behind round glasses.  
Pidge hacks into the Garrison systems, Hunk secures a transport that will be big enough for all of them to get out, and Keith and Lance time guard shifts and supply drops.

When it's finally time to act, Pidge cuts the power while Lance and Keith sneak into the compound. Hunk waits at the endge of the encampment with their get away vehicle. 

* * *

 

Shiro barely looks up when Keith opens the door of his cell.

Keith begs Shiro to come with them. He tells Shiro about the the marks and carvings, the energy in the desert, there's something out there that's just like him, they just need to find it . . . .

"I'm tired Keith," Shiro says, staring down at the metal that's replaced his right arm, "I just want to sleep."

Lance is out in the hallway hissing warnings. They're running out of time.

"Shiro," Keith tries one more time.

Shiro doesn't even lift his head.

Keith swallows hard, "Okay," he says, "Okay, Shiro. You stay here and rest."

He closes the door gently, and ignores Lance's frantically whispered questions. "We need to go." He tells Lance, and Lance goes quiet, giving him confused, concerned looks as they make their way out of the compound.

Hunk and Pidge are waiting for them. "Where's Shiro?' Hunk whisper-shouts, looking around like they've hidden him somewhere.

"Shiro didn't want to come." Lance says, as Keith climbs into the drivers seat.

"Oh." Hunk's eyes go wide.

After a long pause, Pidge asks, "What do we do now?"

Keith closes his eyes. Takes a deep breath.

"There's something you guys need to see." He says, and kicks the transport into life.

* * *

 

Lance is the one who unlocks the Blue Lion.

It's a little bit galling, because Keith is the one who has spent the past year buried in this stuff, and Lance just came waltzing in and picked it up like it was nothing. But he can't find it in himself to mind, not when the Blue Lion breaks out of earth's atmosphere and takes him faster and farther than he's ever imagined he would go.

Not when energy shudders his bones and opens a portal in the space in front of them, and Keith just knows that the answer to every question he's ever had lies on the other side.

"There's nothing left for me back there," he says, when they ask him what he thinks, "I say we go."

The portal takes them to an alien world with alien stars and an alien castle that lights up as they make their way through.

Then they find Allura.

Apparently, there's more than one lion. They need to find the rest of them fast because there's an enemy warship approaching that'll blow this planet to dust if they can't defeat it.

Allura's eyes shine in the control room as she spins stars around her, telling them about Voltron, and the lions, and honor and duty and saving the universe, and Keith . . . .

Keith can't think about that right now. He has a job to do first.

They collect the Green and Yellow Lions, and locate the Red Lion in the warship heading toward them. They have less time then they thought.

Allura gives them armor and weapons. Bayards, she calls them, and Keith can feel the potential resting in them as Lance, Hunk and Pidge manifest their weapons . . . .

But there are only four. Allura has donned the black armor and tells Pidge that the black bayard was lost with its paladin, and Keith acts without thinking. "Here." he says, and offers Allura his bayard.

"Keith no!" Allura sounds shocked, "The red bayard is yours!"

"You need a weapon," Keith says, and thinks of the cloth wrapped knife lying on top of his clothes, "I already have one of my own."

Allura hesitates taking it, unsure. Then the bayard flashes, transforming into a spear longer than she is tall with a wickedly curved blade on the end and she smiles, fierce and satisfied.

Lance is glowering at him, but Keith can't bring himself to care.

Hunk and Lance distract the Galra commander, Sendak, while Keith, Pidge and Allura sneak aboard the ship. They part ways shortly after, Pidge and Allura going to free the prisoners while Keith searches for the Red Lion on his own.

("Patience yields focus." Keith murmurs to himself out of habit.)

He finds the Red Lion.

 _Yours_ , Allura had said, with promise in her voice and stars in her eyes, but Keith can't bring himself to trust it.

He rests a gloved hand on the shield, presses his forehead against it. Searches for its energy, like what he'd felt in the desert but this feels hotter, more dangerous.

 _Please,_ Keith thinks, and tries not to remember what had happened the last time he'd asked this. The door he'd barricaded shut breaks open and armed sentries pour in. _Please. Come with me._

The shield dissolves under his hands, and banked coals blaze in his mind.

A voice like a wildfire snarls.

_Mine._

* * *

 

Allura claims the Black Lion and leads them into battle.

Needless to say, it goes badly. They have incredible weapons at their command, but they're four human teenagers and one hot headed Altean princess going against a seasoned commander, and it shows. They manage to take out a few of the fighters, but they need Voltron to properly defend against the warship, and each time Allura reaches out to them they flinch away from the alien presence in their minds.

Then the tractor beam catches them and Keith almost gives up then and there, "It's been an honor flying with you." He says grimly as it pulls them in.

 _"No!"_ Allura's voice explodes with righteous fury, _"No we can't give up hope! If we work together, we will win together!"_

She reaches out to them again, and for the first time, they reach back.

They form Voltron.

Keith can feel everyone in his mind. Allura is a wave of exultation carrying them forward, Lance, Hunk and Pidge are riding high on their triumph, and Keith is utterly and completely in love.

They fight.

They _win_.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I would like to take this opportunity to personally apologize to everyone who ships Shiro and Keith. I'll make it up to you someday.


End file.
